A battle between giants! The California Building Code goes head to head with the California Building Standards Code. The fans are on their feet. Who shall prevail?

Podcast Episode 069.

In this episode, I put the California Building Code and the California Building Standards Code head to head in a battle royale to see who will come out as victor. I also discuss the recent website redesign, my goals for content creation, and the recent guest posts from the new series, “Success Stories.”

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Battle Royale: California Building Code vs. California Building Standards Code

The first round in this battle is  to understand the California Building Code. This is the code we use most of the time as architects. It contains topics such as occupancy type, construction type, building or floor area, building height, exits and egress, building separation and shaft enclosures, fire protection, fire extinguishing systems, accessibility requirements, engineering requirements. and structural provisions. This is the primary code the local plan checker will be referencing when reviewing our plans for compliance.

The California Building Standards Code is Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations. It consists of 12 parts including;

  • Part 1 Administrative Code
  • Part 2 California Building Code
  • Part 2.5 California Residential Building Code
  • Part 3 California Electrical Code
  • Part 4 California Mechanical Code
  • Part 5 California Plumbing Code
  • Part 6 California Energy Code
  • Part 7 (Elevator Safety Code has been removed
  • Part 8 California Historical Building Code
  • Part 9 California Fire Code
  • Part 10 California Existing Buildings Code
  • Part 11 California Green Building Code
  • Part 12 California Referenced Standards Code.

Once you understand these two codes, it’s easy to see that the California Building Standards Code is giant, when compared to the California Building Code. The California Building Code is only one part of the California Building Standards Code. A simple, but important distinction.

Website Redesign

CSEprep.com has a fresh new look with a more modern and cleaner design! One of the main reasons for the redesign is to put more of an emphasis on the podcast + blog page. You can now see 30 posts per page and each post has a feature box with a picture about the theme of the post. This makes the posts more visually interesting which will attract more readers and result in more comments from candidates and other viewers. Also be sure to check out the new Podcast Archive page.

Content Creation

I’ve had a busy April. I’ve put out 6 pieces of content this month. I’ve put out two video tips, Desperation or Determination and Application and Certificate For Payment and also started a new series “Success Stories.”

Success Stories

I’ve also started a new series for guest posts on the CSE Blog called “Success Stories” in which candidates share their preparation and exam taking experience with others. I published Alberto’s “My Heart Sank To My Stomach”, Becca’s “I Completely Panicked At The Beginning. I Started To Hyperventilate.” and Joe’s “I’m Sorry, but the Testing Center Cannot Provide You With Your Score”. These are wonderful stories so please check them out and leave a comment at the bottom of the articles to show your appreciation to the authors for taking the time to write their stories.

Enforcement Actions

There are no enforcement actions to discuss this week as CAB has not released a new newsletter since last fall.